


Underestimated

by thecattydddy



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Tiny Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 10:19:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4475702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecattydddy/pseuds/thecattydddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark is very surprised to find the big, buff image of Captain America might have been a hoax.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Underestimated

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is for my friend! Honestly, I should probably have done something a little longer and better, but I am really bad at time management, so hopefully this will tide you over until I can write something decent. My apologies. ;;n;;
> 
> Please also note that Steve isn't actually a kid. He's his usual age, Tony's just rude.

When Tony first saw him in person, he'd mistaken him for an intern. To be fair, it was an honest mistake. The scrawny kid was sporting some dorky outfit and a serious face like he was some big and important hotshot. He'd found his way into the big fancy meeting room where Agent Coulson was talking excitedly with the intern. The kid had gave him an awkward smile or two and, feeling for the guy, Tony stepped in.

“Hey! Just who I was looking for, um… Whatever your name is,” Tony placed a hand on the kid's shoulder and handed him a file he'd been trying to figure out what to do with for ten minutes now, “I need you to go file this somewhere. Right now.”

The kid had stared at him with big, wide eyes. Tony was used to that reaction; It came with the territory. He ushered the small blonde out of the room and shut the door behind him. When he looked back, he noticed Agent – It didn't matter what Pepper said. His first name was Agent – looked two parts miffed and a smidgen of stunned. Tony raised his eyebrows, “We're you supposed to be bringing someone with you? I heard rumors about the Capsicle coming to town.”

“He did,” Phil replied, the creepy neutral expression returning to his features. He'd recovered from whatever his problem was pretty fast. “And you just shoved him out the door with a file.” At first, Tony was confused. And then he laughed.

“You mean to tell me that intern was Captain America?” he crackled, his fingers curling into a fist and then hiding his smile, “That's a joke, right? I grew up with the posters plastered to every wall in my house, buddy. Where's the big guy?”

“If you'd read the file I sent you, Mr. Stark, you'd already know that those posters aren't exactly the real deal.”

Tony gave him a look, as if testing his truthfulness, before turning back to the door he'd closed moments before and opening it to find Steve still standing there, confused and holding the file. He handed it back to Tony before wordlessly stepping into the room.

“Um… Anyways, I was going to say I'd be happy to sign your cards, Phil,” Steve explained. The agent lit up like a little boy at Christmas and Tony was beginning to think the end of the world was finally happening.

He must have voiced this without realizing it, because Steve turned to him with an understanding smile that seemed really out of place on the tiny body. Normally, a look like that would have made Tony feel threatened, but… He couldn't even get an inkling of that from this tiny man. This tiny man who'd allegedly taken on _Hydra_ during the war. This tiny man who his father had apparently _idolized_.

“I know it probably is a shock, but it was a pretty helpful advantage back in the day.” Steve had a distant look on and Tony was pretty sure it was illegal for a _child_ to have eyes that old. If it wasn't, it should be. “When you advertise a big, buff guy in the posters and stuff, the enemy kind of expects that, too. Certainly underestimated me when I showed up.”

“You're telling me that you seriously did everything that they say you did?” Tony demanded, “Fought on the front lines? Broke into secret camps all across Germany? Punched a tank unconscious?”

“The last one was a myth,” Steve laughed. It was a cute sound. He was a cute kid. Tony imagined him in some kind of middle school setting and had to admit he would probably fit in way too well. “Most of the story is real, though. I have the strength and everything. The government just thought I'd be a better poster boy if I was a little… Bigger.”

“I refuse to believe any of this.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, defiantly. He was tempted to shoot a glare at Steve, but the guy looked fragile. He might fall apart from the expression alone. Better to glare at Coulson than risk such a thing.

“Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant.” Coulson was unaffected by his look. Might have even looked a little smug over it. “We need everyone we can get, now. You two will be working together, soon, so you might as well start believing it. Captain Rogers will follow through soon enough, I'm certain.”

“Shall we, uh… Meet with the others?” Steve suggested, obviously not used to the praise. For being the American Dream, he was not exactly good at dealing with people. Yet another reason not to believe this hoax.

“Yeah. Sure.” Tony allowed. As disinterest as he was in this whole charade, the sooner they got into battle, the sooner they'd give up on the joke. He was pretty sure SHEILD wouldn't send some kid into danger just for a couple laughs, right?

... _Right_?

 


End file.
